Monster Hunter: Wrath of the Halberd
by Infernostar01
Summary: There are many beasts in the world of Monster Hunter than invoke a sense of dread. The most the Hunters can do is bring the proper equipment and hope for the best. But what happens when they encounter something they have never heard of before? All Hell breaks loose.
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings. If you enjoy Monster Hunter as much as I do, I hope you enjoy the beginning of this new tale. And if you have no what Monster Hunter is or just haven't tried it before, maybe this can help convince you to get into it. Otherwise, enjoy! (Note: This is based off of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on 3DS, specifically)**

It was supposed to be a simple hunt, they were told. Take care of two Great Jaggi's that were causing trouble to some travelers on the route to Dundorma. None of the four could have possibly anticipated what would actually emerge from that day.

There were four hunters sent to dispose of those overgrown lizards. Ashe, the team's leader, wielded Orcus Tonitrus, an electrified greatsword forged from the mighty Zinogre. His armor matched his weapon, sharing the blue and yellow of the electric wolf he had slain countless times to forge his complete set. Ashe had even taken the time to acquire G rank jurisdiction to access the strongest Zinogres possible for his armor set.

Next in line was Theo. He wielded Inferno and Paradis, special claw-like gauntlets forged from a rare subspecies of Gore Magala. Unlike Ashe, Theo passed on matching armor in favor a set forged from a Tetsucabra. The set was known to increase the wearers defense, and Theo needed it since he constantly had to get up close and personal with the Monsters they hunted.

Odin was the third member of the group. He wielded a Charge Blade, a weapon usually found as a sword and shield, but could combine together to form an axe-like weapon capable of generating concussive blasts. His in particular was the Azure Skylark, a blue and pink version capable of inflicting a nasty poison onto their targets. Though his weapon used the materials from two different monsters, Odin wore the set of only one of them, the Azure Rathalos, which increased his strength as well as gave his ears protection many of the Monsters roars.

Lastly, there was Vera. She was the only one that kept her distance when Hunting, carrying a Bow known as the Lightbreak Bow. Forged from the body of a Brachydios, her bow could fire arrows that exploded on contact with the target. Alongside a matching set of Brachydios armor, she was also known for being the teams' healer, bringing along plenty of extra potions, demon drugs, and other useful items for the group.

When they entered the Ancestral Steppe, everything seemed normal as usual. They split off in teams of two, until one group encountered the first Great Jaggi. The orange and purple lizard was no match for even two of them, and once the other two showed up the Monster was dead in a matter of moments. But their expectation for the next Monster were far different than what they had expected.

Ashe and Vera found it first. It was eating from a Gargwa's nest in a secluded area by the cliffs, not even aware that they were watching it. Vera cocked a shot from her bow to fire on the oblivious creature, as Ashe slowly approached from behind, taking a stance as he prepared to slam Orcus Tonitrus down on it.

That was when they heard the roar. At least, that was what they had guessed the noise was. It was more akin to a deafening scream from the depths of hell when compared to the Monster roars they were used to.

As the two were shaken by what kind of creature could have unleashed such a bellowing sound, the Great Jaggi started to bolt from the area. Taking a second to recompose, they pursued it, with Vera sending an arrow skyward to signal to the others that they had found it.

"What the hell was that roar?!" Ashe yelled as they ran after the Great Jaggi. "I've heard a lot of Monster cries, but never something on that level!"

"I don't know, and I don't want to find out! Let's just take this thing down and get out of here before we find it. Or worse, it finds us!" Vera replied. The two nodded in agreement at that sentiment, as they both raced into a clearing where the Great Jaggi stood waiting for them.

The creature barked at both of them, as Ashe leapt into action. He quickly scaled the nearby cliff to higher ground, only to leap off it a moment later to crash Orcus Tonitrus into the Great Jaggi. The impact knocked it to the ground, giving him the brief opportunity to mount it before it got back up.

It started to flail around wildly in an attempt to shake Ashe off, all while Vera fired another arrow to signal to the others where they were. That arrow exploded in the sky, giving a clear message to Theo and Odin of their location. As the Great Jaggi continued to freak out, Ashe pulled out his hunting knife and started to stab into its back.

With enough jabs, the creatures' legs buckled as it toppled onto its side. Just as it hit the ground, Theo and Odin arrived to assist, with Theo going in with his claws while Odin prepared his Charge Blade. Vera moved back a bit to keep out of blast range from her arrows, and Ashe got back to his feet to strike down the Great Jaggi. With a big windup, he prepared Orcus Tonitrus, before letting loose with a big heavy swing down onto the Monster…

 ** _GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!_**

That roar was enough to startle the entire group, as they turned their attention to where they heard the sound come from. As they did, they were shocked to see just what kind of Monster that roar belonged to.

It was massive. A huge, dark indigo dragon slowly lurched towards them, its body covered in some sort of oil-like substance. Two large wingarms stomped down to the lower parts of the terrain, while its thick hind legs crushed the high ground, soaking the earth in black oil. Its cranium was the size of a large boulder, with red eyes and rows of viciously sharp teeth. It stared down the part of four before setting its sights on the Great Jaggi, who had taken the opportunity to get back up.

Before the Hunters could even react, the creature lunged forward, its huge maw crushing down on the Great Jaggi. Several loud crunches were heard, indicating it had crushed through the smaller Monsters skeleton with ease. The Hunters each took a step back, fear arising in each of them as they watched it chow down on the now dead Monster.

Each of the Hunters looked over at one another silently agreeing that they needed to get out of there. But their silence didn't last long, as the Monster soon turned its attention to them. It took in some air for what they guessed was another roar, as the four of them immediately started running back to base camp. However, before they could cover decent ground, they heard a different sound from the creature, and turned to see a blast of energy fire from its mouth at them.

That was the last thing the four of them saw together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

 ***GASP***

Odin awoke with a start, his face covered in sweat. He tried to look around at his surroundings, but a searing pain all over his body stopped that quickly. He moaned in pain as he hunched his back, still trying to look around.

He was back in Dundorma, In the home building that his team had assembled through their adventures. Currently he was sitting in his bed, with his armor from the Hunt off to the side, along with his Azure Skylark. The Palico companions they had recruited were scurrying about, attending to their various duties as usual. Palicos were Felynes, or cats that walked on two legs, that were trained for Monster Hunting and Gathering. They weren't exactly built to take hits, but could be great distractions during big Hunts.

"Mrow! Odin is awake!' One of them said. The others in the room turned their attention to him and scurried over to him. "Meowster! What happened out there? You were brought back to us in shambles!"

"I…Uggggghh." Odin groaned in pain, still finding himself wrapped with pain. The Palicos inched closer, with one in particular approaching to apply some medical gauze. It was Zeku, Odin's personal Palico, and the first one he had recruited before meeting his comrades.

"Boss, what did you find meowt there?" Zeku asked, carefully applying the gauze. It caused Odin to stiffen up on contact, but he soon found his breath to speak.

"…We were attacked. The mission was going just fine, when…something…gate crashed. It killed the 2nd target, and immediately set its sights on us. We tried to run, when…"

"Try to relax. If you need time to remember the Meownster, we can give you some, meow." Another Palico said. The others started to clear out of the room, as Odin struggled to stay sitting up. He wanted to get up and see the others, but he was in no condition to even stand. Zeku stayed close to continue applying the gauze, when Odin turned his head to the Palico.

"Zeku…Where are the others?"

"…"

"…Oh my God…"

"We don't know yet, boss. The Guild didn't send a notice of death, so we can't confirm nor deny. But until we get a notice, they are MIA, Meowster."

"…I have to warn the Guild about that creature."

"They are already looking into what you Meownster Hunters encountered. For now, you need rest. If you want to get back out there and look for the others, you need your strength, nya."

Odin sighed. As degrading as it often was, Zeku was surprisingly intelligent, and he often knew the best course of action over Odin's decision. Well, outside of combat mind you, Odin was still the superior on that front by a hundred miles. "…Fine. But the instant I am feeling better, we are suiting up and heading out."

"Couldn't have said it better, Meowster." Zeku replied, as Odin laid back down on the bed.

 _Meanwhile…_

The Elder Hall was swamped with people. Workers, Hunters, Gatherers, Palicos, everyone was running around with a clear look of fear in their eyes. The problem is, they weren't exactly sure WHAT they were so afraid of. After one of their best teams of Hunters came back with only ¼ of their party, and nearly dead, everyone was on edge, save for the Great Elder.

 _We must find out what caused such a disaster to occur, especially one that could take down all four of those Hunters_ He thought to himself, putting a hand to his chin as he pondered that thought. The Great Elder gazed down at the hustling people, his humongous size letting him tower over all of them.

No one had ever seen anything like the Monster that they were described from the incident. A Dragon, possibly an Elder Dragon, that walks around soaked in oil? Even with the sometimes-outlandish Monsters there are, this was just stretching it for a lot of them. But if this supposed 'Oil Dragon' as they were referring to it as, was so strong as to take down four G Ranked Hunters, then it was something to fear.

"Your Immenseness." The Great Elder heard. He looked down to see one of his assistants waving for his attention. "We think we may have found a Monster that matches the description of the one that the Hunters faced."

"Excellent. What might that Monster be?" The Great Elder bellowed. He knelt down so his assistant could whisper it into his ear, keeping it a secret from the crowd for now, in case it wasn't something they would want to hear.

"The Monster they faced would have to be something by the name of…Gogmazios. According to the Monsterpedia, its an Elder Dragon known for secreting incredibly thick oils that can incapacitate nearly anything. It is highly aggressive and will attack anything that it comes across." She whispered.

"Well, that explains why the Hunters were attacked." The Great Elder whispered in reply. "Where are they now, if I may ask?"

"We are not entirely sure. The Felyne medics only recovered one of them from the mission. The other 3 are MIA at the moment."

"Well then… Once they are back on their feet, send a messenger for them. I want their thoughts on the Gogmazios before someone takes it upon themselves to pursue it all alone."

"Yes, your Immenseness." His assistant turned and left to finish her duties, while The Great Elder continued to watch people hurriedly moving around. _I do not have any recollection of this Gogmazios. We are going to need all the info we can before we try to fight it._

 _Meanwhile…_

Some of Odin's energy had returned to him. He was currently sitting up, albeit still in bed, polishing his Azure Skylark. Zeku kept close to him, watching to make sure he didn't hurt himself. His face had a somber look, no doubt due to his concern for the rest of his team.

"Meowster, you shouldn't concern yourself with your weapons at the mo"

"I am **fine** Zeku. If I feel I need to rest, then I shall. But until then, I know what I want to do. And that is prepare myself for when I can face that abomination again."

"But Meowster…"

"But nothing. Until I am ready to hunt, I am spending my time prepping for that day. And there is little you can do to stop me." Odin replied, his free hand clenched. Zeku could see a fiery look in Odins eyes, the same look he got whenever he was frustrated in combat.

 _…_ _Just know your limits, Meowster_ Zeku thought, as he continued to watch Odin.


End file.
